Frasier (1993) s03e22 – Frasier Loves Roz

I wanted a Roz (Peri Gilpin) episode, and for my sins, they gave me one.

Frasier Loves Roz is not a bad episode. It’s a mediocre episode to be sure, but it’s not bad. It’s problematic because writer Suzanne Martin can’t decide whether or not to do easy body shaming jokes, or homophobic ones, or more broadly queer-phobic ones. Also it’s all about how Gilpin’s done sleeping around (so she can get married and have kids and never have to be a bridesmaid again); so now she’s going to settle down with a good bloke.

Unfortunately the bloke in question—a personality-free Michael Mitz—is actually a sex addict patient of David Hyde Pierce’s. Hyde Pierce tells Kelsey Grammer about it, but forbids Grammer to warn Gilpin because of patient-client privacy; therapist to therapist doesn’t matter also because they’re men and Gilpin’s not. Grammer feels weird about not being able to warn Gilpin as she gets more and more serious about Mitz. Gilpin can tell Grammer’s acting weird and doesn’t like Mitz, but doesn’t know why.

There are significant time leaps in the episode, which the title cards explain. Possibly awkwardly, possibly with charm, since I’m veering negative on the episode I’m going with the former. But eventually Jane Leeves tells Gilpin she overheard Grammer on the phone and he’s just jealous—he’s in love with Gilpin, which sets up some other complications and then combines with the original confusion in the conclusion.

Adequately.

Good performances from Gilpin and Grammer—and a really nice sequence for Hyde Pierce supporting Grammer—but the script’s really shallow. Got some jokes. But it’s shallow.

The only subplot involves Grammer and Hyde Pierce trying to convince John Mahoney to record him for future generations on a camcorder. It’s excellent stuff; the episode would’ve been a lot worse without it.

So while it’s nice Gilpin finally gets a plot to herself, it’s too bad it’s this one. Also it’d be nice to see Gilpin and Leeves pass a Bechdel… though their scene talking about the potential of Grammer crushing on Gilpin is hilarious.

Frasier (1993) s03e21 – Where There’s Smoke There’s Fired

It’s time for the seasonal Bebe (Harriet Sansom Harris) episode and it’s another fantastic one. I keep looking at Harris’ IMDb page because her never winning an Emmy for this part has got to be a mistake. She wasn’t even nominated, yet she’s so good.

But we don’t know right off Harris is going to figure in; the episode starts with David Hyde Pierce struggling to get a loan for a new antique footstool. He’s struggling to live without separated wife Maris’s money; it’s going to be the closest thing the episode gets to a main subplot—I guess if it’s the B plot, there’s a great, tiny C plot involving the other radio personalities at the station. Hyde Pierce is eventually going to join a warehouse club, which is leads to a really funny moment.

The main plot starts with Peri Gilpin arriving at the apartment—leading to some great banter between her and Hyde Pierce—to tell Kesley Grammer the scoop on the radio station’s new owner, a Texan named Big Willy (Richard Hamilton in a perfect little part). Grammer and Gilpin want to ingratiate themselves as much as possible because Hamilton’s all about syndicating shows. If only Grammer could get ahold of Harris, but she’s mysteriously unavailable.

Because she’s busy being engaged to Hamilton, which comes as a great punchline after they set up Hamilton wanting Grammer to cure his new fiancée of her smoking in three days time. Syndication hangs in the balance so how can Grammer refuse.

The second half of the episode is all of Grammer’s efforts to get Harris to give up the smokes over the three days; they’re sequestered at the apartment, so Harris gets to interact with the entire supporting cast (well, except Gilpin, unfortunately). But there’s great stuff for Harris and Jane Leeves, while John Mahoney sort of gets to solo his gags. They’re great, but they’re separate. Hyde Pierce meanwhile sort of bonds with fellow marry-upper Harris.

The episode—written by Joe Keenan, who wrote Harris’s last episode—spotlights her performance. She gets a show-stopper monologue about cigarettes, then an excellent physical comedy sequence (good direction from Philip Charles MacKenzie); it’s her episode. Though Grammer does get an eventual killer monologue of his own; it’s still not as good as Harris’s.

It’s an awesome episode. Harris is a wonder.

Just hope someone fixes her IMDb before next season’s Bebe episode.

Frasier (1993) s03e20 – Police Story

Police Story is a standout episode—and writer Sy Rosen’s sole “Frasier” credit—from the very start. It’s a moving car shot with Kelsey Grammer and Peri Gilpin, where Gilpin’s getting ready in the back seat and getting Grammer to speed because they’ve got to get to her date on time. It’s a fantastic sequence and going to kick off season three regular director Philip Charles MacKenzie’s best-directed episode.

Grammer’s speeding gets him pulled over and Gilpin convinces him to turn on the celebrity to try to get out of trouble. Grammer’s hesitant until it turns out the cop is the fetching Jane Kaczmarek, who’s a fan of his show. Lucky for him.

Thanks to having an ex-cop for a dad (John Mahoney), Grammer’s able to find out Kaczmarek’s identity… but not in a stalker way, obviously, in that cute eighties and nineties romantic pursuit (stalker) way. It’s a cop bar so Mahoney tags along, only to discover Kaczmarek was a devoted student from Mahoney’s academy teaching days. And she’d love to go out on a date with him, which all happens when Grammer’s off getting drinks for the table.

It turns out to be a great episode for Mahoney and Grammer, albeit separately to some extent because Mahoney can’t really go to Grammer for advice. Instead he goes to other son David Hyde Pierce and gives Hyde Pierce a wonderful comedic subplot as he giddily anticipates Grammer’s inevitable humiliation. It doesn’t seem bad when Hyde Pierce does it.

Anyway. After the big twist with Kaczmarek going for the older model, then there’s another when Grammer finds out about it, and a finale third twist in the middle of twist the viewer’s in on but the characters aren’t. That last twist gives Grammer a bunch of good acting fodder and Grammer delivers. The second half of the episode—starting with a great scene between Grammer and Jane Leeves and her friends—is a spotlight on Grammer and he’s got a whole bunch to do.

Grammer’s excellent, Mahoney’s excellent, Kaczmarek’s a good guest, Gilpin’s stuff is outstanding (she gets to help close it up), MacKenzie’s direction, Rosen’s script. If Story is any indication, it’s too bad Rosen didn’t write more “Frasier.” The MacKenzie direction too is just superb.

Frasier (1993) s03e19 – Crane vs. Crane

At first it seems like Crane vs. Crane is going to be a Martin (John Mahoney) versus his snobby sons episode, as it opens with David Hyde Pierce going on about how he’s going to be on Court TV testifying in a competency hearing for an old lumber baron (Donald O’Connor) whose son is trying to take his money away from him. Hyde Pierce is joking about O’Connor’s diminished capacities, which upsets Mahoney. Kelsey Grammer sides with Hyde Pierce.

Right up until he gets hired to evaluate O’Connor himself—Grammer initially disagrees but then thinks he should do it in order to make sure Hyde Pierce isn’t making any mistakes. At O’Connor’s mansion, he finds an eccentric philanthropist who likes having fun and Grammer becomes more and more convinced little brother Hyde Pierce has got it wrong. Grammer just doesn’t want him to embarrass himself.

Fast forward to the court room—the episode’s got a rather good couple special locations in—O’Connor’s mansion play-land and the court set. Now it’s time for the show down; Hyde Pierce is ready (and ready for the cameras) and Grammer’s ready to tear him down. It’s just a question of who’s going to go first.

There are a lot of good jokes this episode—starting right away with a combination Eddie and Wagner (the composer) joke; there’s a particularly good Hyde Pierce speaking German lyrics moment. The way David Lloyd’s script nimbly segues between the subplots in the bickering with Mahoney, Grammer, and Hyde Pierce at the opening primes the episode. It’s a very good script from Lloyd.

Because in addition to the joke jokes with Grammer learning how to be playful or the amazing courtroom sequence, there are also these very earnest, raw, tender scenes for Hyde Pierce and Grammer as Hyde Pierce has to confront his jealousy over Grammer’s notoriety and how it’s affecting Hyde Pierce’s professional conduction. Usually it’s just subtext for a laugh, here everyone wants to examine it under fluorescents. It’s an impressive change of tone on it too, with Hyde Pierce giving the better performance but Grammer doing quite well too. There’s a tonal shift in how the episode addresses that aspect of the plot and that character conflict. It really works out.

There’s also a tiny subplot for Peri Gilpin about her fixing up the calls Grammer gets wrong on the show, which is a wonderful detail even if it’s a throwaway in this episode.

Frasier (1993) s03e18 – Chess Pains

Chess Pains is Rob Greenberg’s first solo script credit—and Gordon Hunt’s first episode directing—but it feels like a familiar (good familiar) “Frasier” mix, albeit right down to Peri Gilpin getting a filler subplot. Gilpin’s getting her hair cut and has nothing to talk to her stylist about; it’s just there to give Kelsey Grammer something to do outside the apartment—they’re at the coffee shop—and it’s still got its laughs, albeit fairly easy ones.

There’s also the David Hyde Pierce subplot, which is as outstanding as the Gilpin one is mundane; lonely separated Hyde Pierce—encouraged by Jane Leeves—gets a dog and it’s the closest thing to having his infamous wife, Maris, on screen for an episode we’ve gotten to date. It provides some excellent conversation fodder for Grammer, Leeves, and John Mahoney, and some great laughs for Hyde Pierce, who’s doing all dialogue humor, nothing physical.

The episode will give all the physical to Grammer, who’s got a son and father episode with Mahoney. Grammer’s just bought a fancy new antique chess set and—after initially being so obnoxious no one wants to play with him—talks Mahoney into a game. It’s a sitcom so of course ex-cop, beer out of a can drinker Mahoney beats the pants of Harvard-educated snob Grammer. Soon Grammer’s obsessed with beating Mahoney but completely unable to defeat him.

The episode gives both Grammer and Mahoney a chance to go to extremes, with Grammer getting to do a whole physical comedy arc as he becomes more and more obsessed and Mahoney gets more and more exasperated with the behavior. When they finally give up the good sportsmanship, there’s just this fantastic trash talk going back and forth. It’s fantastic.

There’s a nice, wholesome finale and a good postscript during the end credits; outside Gilpin’s nothing doing subplot, it’s an excellent solo premiere for Greenberg.

Also—Leeves gets some really good material; not a lot of really good material, but she’s got at least two great laughs.

Frasier (1993) s03e17 – High Crane Drifter

This episode’s got an outstanding last scene, which basically makes up for the rest of it. And the last scene is outstanding because of David Hyde Pierce as a showcase for his mix of physical and dialogue comedy, nothing else. It’s a bit of a deus ex machina just because Hyde Pierce hasn’t had anything to do for the majority of the episode, except occasionally play off a ranting Kelsey Grammer.

Grammer’s mad because no one’s got any common decency or courtesy anymore. It starts, rather amusingly, with him being late to his radio show because someone took his spot. Peri Gilpin has to fill in, which gives her a nice scene, and there’s a decent—albeit insensitive—punchline.

But the more Grammer goes about his day, the more discourtesy he experiences. The episode’s fairly tone-deaf—script credited to Jack Burditt—especially when Grammer and Hyde Pierce are standing around waiting for a table whining about their lives as upper middle class (or are they lower upper class) white men who can’t get a table after their four hours of hard work a day. The table becomes the big plot perturbation, when fellow privileged white guy John Cygan steals their table and Grammer loses it–getting cheers from the rest of the restaurant.

Because they wouldn’t have had the courage to fight for their own tables, even though they may have gotten them without waiting appropriately. No deep thoughts.

Anyway, Grammer quickly becomes a hero to the people of Seattle and a crusader against discourtesy, which makes Hyde Pierce jealous and John Mahoney proud. Mahoney fawning over Grammer the tough guy makes those scenes. Hyde Pierce being dejected not so much.

There’s a funny laundry subplot with Jane Leeves, including a great resolve in the end credits sequence.

But yeah, Hyde Pierce saves the day and the episode it turns out. There’s just something way too easy (read: lazy) about Burditt’s script. It’s a generic sitcom script with some “Frasier” trappings but not enough.

And the callout to How Green Was My Valley—part of Grammer getting fed up involves his pursuit of a VHS copy, little does he realize his video store only stocks Paramount releases (because Paramount produced “Frasier”)—is an odd one. Maybe it’s just been too long since I’ve seen it. But it doesn’t seem like the right reference.

Anyway. Yay, Hyde Pierce. Eh, Burditt.

Frasier (1993) s03e16 – Look Before You Leap

Look Before You Leap is one of those exemplar “Frasier” episodes. It’s just the regular cast, it’s just the regular sets, and it’s perfect situation comedy.

The episode starts with Kelsey Grammer taking Eddie the dog for a walk, which should’ve forecasted everything being off since Grammer abhorring the dog is one of the show staples. It’s February 29th—a leap year—and Grammer starts encouraging everyone to take a “leap,” which leads to disastrous results for nearly everyone involved. Once the episode—with a great script credited to Chuck Ranberg and Anne Flett-Giordano—establishes things aren’t going to go well for anyone, it becomes a waiting game to see how the disasters are going to unfold.

Grammer gets the idea from dad John Mahoney talking about his friend having a big sixteenth birthday party (which leads to Mahoney doing an outstanding impression of Jane Leeves’s Daphne character, giving some wonderful insight into the characters’ relationship between their scenes). Whether it’s flying to Montana for the party, Leeves getting her hair cut, or Peri Gilpin using the radio show to try to find a missed connection from her morning commute, Grammer can’t stop encouraging people to be bold with the extra day.

Except brother David Hyde Pierce, who gets an unexpected request for a booty call from estranged, ever offscreen wife Maris, and Grammer spends the episode telling him not to do it. Hyde Pierce doing uncontrollably horny is probably the funniest thing in the episode; they use the device sparingly because it’s just so good. Great physical comedy from Hyde Pierce. And also great banter for he and Grammer; Ranberg and Flett-Giordano find a perfect balance between talking heads, sight gags, and so on. Gilpin gets a similar mix of styles, including a nice bit during the PBS telethon finale, where Grammer is going to make his own “leap” in his choice of song.

There’s a great punchline at the finish, then another great one during the end credits.

I’m not sure I’ve ever noticed the studio audiences’ laughs delaying the actors so much before. After at least two particularly excellent jokes, Hyde Pierce and Grammer visibly have to wait for things to calm down enough so they’re not talking about the still laughing audience.

Eventually good direction from James Burrows? It’s weird, but it’s like he takes a second to wake up in the first act. He’s initially lethargic, then has this too rapid swoosh of a camera movement and is good afterwards.

It’s a great episode. Excellent performances all around, particularly Hyde Pierce.

Frasier (1993) s03e15 – A Word to the Wiseguy

Is the “member of the Italian-American social club” visits a WASP-y sitcom a trope or just does seem like a trope? I feel like every sitcom with a sufficient number of episodes is going to to get to it eventually… at least when you still could make Godfather and GoodFellas dialogue references. Not sure anyone’s out there trying to work The Irishman into banter.

Anyway.

Not Italian-American Harris Yulin is the guest star. He’s apparently a local mobster who knows enough dirty Seattle cops and D.A.s he can get Maris’s warrant cancelled. She got busted for unpaid parking tickets and ran to David Hyde Pierce (proverbially and obviously offscreen) for help, probably assuming he was going to ask ex-cop dad John Mahoney for help.

Hyde Pierce tries, but Mahoney doesn’t think the law should apply differently for cops’ families because there was never a better time to be a naive liberal sitcom writer than the nineties.

Peri Gilpin knows a guy who knows a guy, who turns out to be Yulin. He can take care of Hyde Pierce’s problem, but he’s going to want something in return. And thanks to Kelsey Grammer going along to the meet, Yulin thinks he’s got the radio psychiatrist in his pocket too. So when the favor comes a-knocking, what will Grammer do?

It’s a funny episode—decent material for the regular cast, including Gilpin, who gets some more screen time when the action returns to the radio show—and Yulin is fine. He’s seemingly alternating between a Christopher Walken and a Marlon Brando as far as his voice goes. Or his Brando just sounds like his Walken. The end punchline is really good.

It’s just a bit of an easy episode.

Also, see The Irishman if you haven’t had a chance.

Frasier (1993) s03e14 – The Show Where Diane Comes Back

Shelley Long is a very good guest star for “Frasier.” She irritates John Mahoney in a particular way he’s never been irritated before and it leads to some great expressions from him and some great one-liners too. Long’s also really good with David Hyde Pierce; they’re both snobs but he wants to be more of a snob so he’s on the defensive.

Long’s visiting because she has a new play coming out in Seattle and she’s there to work on the production. She comes to see Kelsey Grammer at the radio, prompting him to race across town for an emergency therapy session with Hyde Pierce. It’s an absolutely fantastic scene between the two, with writer Christopher Lloyd getting in what’s going to be a great recurring bit about Hyde Pierce’s notepad. See, Long left Grammer at the alter—“Cheers” season three season finale—and there’s unresolved hurt, which Grammer’s never told Long about. Presumably they didn’t talk about it during seasons four and five of “Cheers,” even offscreen.

So ignoring Hyde Pierce’s advise to confront Long and talk to her about the pain she’s caused,Grammer decides he’s going to show up Long—out snob her, out wealth her—and invites her over to the apartment. There we find out she got to meet Mahoney and Hyde Pierce back in the “Cheers” days, which leads to a good Maris joke.

Eventually, we get to see Long’s play, which suggests she has a very different recollection of “Cheers” seasons four and five than Grammer—it’s a very funny scene, but probably lost on anyone not versed in their “Cheers”—and they work toward some sincere human understanding. With some good laughs.

Really good direction from James Burrows—his first episode this season—and excellent performances from Grammer, Long, and Mahoney. And Lloyd’s script’s real good too, all the way through.

Frasier (1993) s03e13 – Moon Dance

I miss guessing when an actor will be directing an episode based on their character going out of town for the show. The episode opens with Kelsey Grammer rushing through one last call to the show—my “Frasier” ears are broken because I had no idea it was Jodie Foster and I tried on this one—before flying east to visit his son. I think they first mentioned these regular cross-continental visits in the first season, but I don’t think we’ve seen one until now.

Or not seen one. And, yes, indeed, Grammer’s directing. He picks a choice episode to do as well, all about Jane Leeves teaching David Hyde Pierce how to dance for his first date since his separation. At some point in the lessons—they have a week to prepare—the date cancels, putting Hyde Pierce into the position of having to give up the dance lessons with his dream girl, which leads to some good material for Hyde Pierce and John Mahoney. Having a break from Grammer and letting the supporting cast develop outside supporting him… works for the show. And Grammer’s direction is excellent.

The dancing’s good, the plot twists are good, Leeves and Hyde Pierce—so often paired together purely for punchlines—do great with the soft dramatics. There’s a lot of character development here for Hyde Pierce—and Grammer’s direction very capably, very intentionally showcases Hyde Pierce’s acting—and a funny subplot for Mahoney (he’s trying to prove Eddie the dog is smart; it doesn’t go well).

For an episode with a truly startling amount of credited writers—eight, including two writing teams, three regular solo writers, and then one new person—it’s seamless. Hyde Pierce, Leeves, Grammer, Mahoney, the eight writers, they create a stellar, lovely half hour of television.